For patients requiring replacement of all teeth in the upper and/or lower arch of the mouth, a bar-retained overdenture with dental implants is an excellent treatment option.
An overdenture improves your appearance by replacing your missing teeth while providing improved overall function for eating and speech, combining the stability provided by dental implants with the convenience of a removable denture. It will require multiple appointments for your doctor to place the dental implants and design your overdenture.
A bar retained overdenture is a removable prosthesis placed in the mouth containing replacement teeth, mounted in a base made of pink resin create an exact fit over your existing gums. It has clips underneath that securely attach to metal bar fixed in place using dental implants, which are artificial roots placed into the supporting bone.
Utilizing implants not only provides a solid foundation for the denture teeth allowing for optimal eating and speaking, but also helps to prevent the surrounding bone from shrinking over time without a tooth root structure to support it.
The first step in this process is to take an impression of the area, which your doctor will use to create a set of temporary dentures for you. When the temporary dentures are completed, diagnostic images are taken of the area to plan out the placement of your dental implants.
Next, the area is prepared and your dental implants are placed. Special healing caps are placed over your implants while you heal. At subsequent visits your doctor will monitor the healing process, letting you know when the area is ready for the next phase of treatment. You can continue to wear your temporary denture during this time.
Once your implants have fully healed, your doctor will take new impressions of your mouth. These impressions will be used to create your support bar and final overdenture.
During follow up appointments, your doctor will check for proper fit and bite alignment of the bar and final denture. It may require multiple incremental ‘try-in’ fittings to ensure the best final result for you. Once all adjustments have been made, the support bar is fixed in place, and the overdenture placed onto the bar.
Once all adjustments have been made, the support bar is fixed in place, and the overdenture placed onto the bar. With the process completed, you will have a removable restoration specially designed to replace your natural teeth in a way that greatly improves your appearance, with the added advantage of clipping to a fixed structure in way limits denture movement and promotes optimal function when eating or speaking.
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